Two of the best interleague teams in all of baseball get set to square off in Game 2 of this series in front of a national audience.
Detroit Tigers at New York Mets
Detroit suffered a 14-6 blowout loss against the New York Mets in its first game of nine-game road trip, after finishing a nine-game home stand with an 8-1 record. “We made about as many bad pitches in one game as you could make,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. The Tigers have dropped nine of their last 12 road games, as the pitching staff has produced a terrible 6.36 ERA over that span. One member of the until that hasn’t been part of those troubles is closer Jose Valverde. The Tigers will be in a solid position if he enters the game tonight, as he’s converted each of his last 16 save opportunities and tops all AL relievers with a 0.59 ERA.
Tigers SP Jeremy Bonderman is 3-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) this season (+200). The right-hander has led the team to two consecutive victories, allowing just four runs and 11 hits over 14 innings of work. Over that span, he has managed to compile a 13:1 strikeout/walk ratio. Bonderman has had his share of troubles away from Comerica Park, going 1-2 with a 6.03 ERA in six starts (+60), but much of the damage was inflicted in two particular starts (9.1IP/15ER). In two career starts against the Mets, he has tallied a 1-1 mark and 7.36 ERA (Even).
New York pushed its interleague record to 10-3 this year (+980), moving ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the third-most interleague wins this season. So far during its meetings against the American League, the pitching staff has posted a 3.06 ERA, which happens to be the fourth-lowest mark in all of baseball (7-6 O/U). In comparison, the staff compiled a 5.98 ERA during interleague play last year. An important note for bettors moving forward after Tuesday’s game, is the Mets 15-9 record in the first game of a series this season, including a fantastic 10-2 mark in the first game of a series at home. Watch for New York to possibly jump on Detroit again in the second-game of the three-game set, as the Mets have scored first in 46 of their 70 games.
Mets SP R.A. Dickey is an unblemished 5-0 with a 2.82 ERA in six starts this season, with the team posting a 5-1 record (+460). He has won five straight starts, after beating the Cleveland Indians, 6-4 at Progressive Field on June 17th. The right-hander is a perfect 2-0 at home with a 2.19 ERA (+220), as he’s yet to allow a home run in 12.1 innings. Due to his time in the American League, Dickey has compiled an even 2-2 mark and 4.69 ERA in 12 games (five starts) against the Detroit Tigers (+330). He last beat the Tigers on August 20, 2003, while with the Texas Rangers.
Bettors will be hard-pressed to fade an undefeated pitcher on a team that’s a dominating 25-10 at home (+1,340). New York is also an impressive 47-26 at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the past three years (+1,960). The Tigers are 32 games under .500 over the past three years away from Comerica Park (-2,050), but their 32-17 interleague record over that span must be respected (+1,300).
